The characters from the first Left 4 Dead game will return in the form of DLC

Valve has announced the first piece of downloadable content for Left 4 Dead 2, with a little bit of information that will certainly please fans of the game.

The DLC entitled “The Passing”, is a new campaign set after the events of “Dead Centre” features a cross-over between Ellis, Coach, Rochelle, and Nick (L4D2) and Bill, Francis, Zoey and Louis (L4D1). Valve had hinted at something like this, and while players are still controlling the new characters, it could make for an interesting plotline.

“The Passing” should be released in “Early Spring 2010″, and no information has been released about pricing just yet.

The new downloadable content for Left 4 Dead, Crash Course, has been released today on the Xbox Live Marketplace but has been incorrectly priced. Crash Course is available for 800 Microsoft Points when it should be 560 Microsoft Points. The price should be rectified at some point in the next hour or two.

Major Nelson and other Xbox personalities have been warning their followers on Twitter not to buy Crash Course at 800 Microsoft Points and wait until it is priced correctly.

As with almost all items on the Xbox Live Marketplace there are no refunds for this downloadable content so if you have paid 800 Microsoft Points for it then there you are probably not going to be able to claim the 240 Microsoft Points back. As seen in this previous article on VGR (aptly titled ‘Microsoft wants your money’) Valve didn’t even want to charge for the DLC but it was Microsoft’s decision that they had to.

Another game being shown off at PAX in Seattle was Valve’s Left 4 Dead 2. They were showing the third of the five new campaigns, entitled “Dark Carnival”.

They are also showing off a new special infected, this quote taken from ComputerandVideoGames.com:

“Valve is also unveiling a new Boss infected monster coming in the full version of Left 4 Dead 2. Known as “The Jockey” this is the third new Boss infected from L4D2 revealed thus far (the Charger was revealed at E3, The Spitter at Comic Con). The Jockey lets you attack lone Survivors and wrestle control of their movement away from them-into fire, off ledges, or straight into the middle of a zombie horde. “

Speaking about the upcoming Left 4 Dead DLC Crash Course, Valve’s Chet Faliszek has stated that it was Microsoft’s decision to charge for the content on Xbox 360.

The content, free to all PC-owners, will cost 560 MS points on Xbox as Microsoft “wanted to make sure there’s an economy of value there”. Pressed further on the issue he said the following:

Well, they helped us get the first one out for free. We had the one DLC out for free. And I think… they have to look and say, wow, we’re kind of being unfair to everybody else if these guys can do that.